These Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Cookies are simply irresistible. Soft and chewy, with a gentle pumpkin spice warmth and the deep, nutty flavor of brown butter, they make a perfect cozy treat for fall.
I’ve been eagerly awaiting sweater weather and all the cozy scents that come with it. While the calendar marks the official start of fall, for me it’s when the air cools and kitchens start filling with pumpkin, apples, cinnamon and chai. That’s when I know it’s time to bake.
These cookies have quickly climbed to the top of my fall favorites. They strike a lovely balance—comforting spice without any fake, overpowering pumpkin flavor. Real pumpkin puree is mild on its own; the familiar “pumpkin” taste comes from the spice blend you add. If you’re expecting an intensely artificial pumpkin profile, these won’t match that expectation. But if you want a tender, chewy cookie with a subtle pumpkin note and a beautiful layer of brown-butter richness, these deliver.
Cooking with Pumpkin
When baking with pumpkin puree, it’s easy to end up with cakey results because pumpkin adds a lot of moisture. That’s great for quick breads and cakes, but less ideal when you want a dense, chewy cookie. Pumpkin can also act similarly to an egg in recipes, contributing moisture. For these cookies I intentionally omitted eggs to avoid a cakey texture. The result is a moist yet chewy cookie—not cake-like, but tender and satisfying.
Soft, chewy, warmly spiced and rich with brown-butter flavor—these Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Cookies are a fall must-bake.
Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 Tbsp (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree (100% pure pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
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Brown the butter first. Place the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and let it melt. Once it begins to bubble and foam, swirl or stir constantly until you see small brown flecks forming on the bottom. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until those flecks deepen to an amber color and the butter smells nutty. Remove from heat and let cool about 5 minutes. Be attentive—browned butter can go from perfect to burnt quickly.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the browned butter (scrape in the browned bits), granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat with the paddle attachment about 1 minute until combined. Add the vanilla, maple syrup and pumpkin puree, and mix until incorporated. Add the cornstarch, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, salt and flour and mix until just combined.
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Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day. Chilling helps prevent excessive spreading and allows the flavors to meld.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough (or use a cookie scoop) about 2 inches apart. Bake 8–10 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through. The cookies may look slightly underbaked; they will finish cooking on the sheet as they cool. Avoid overbaking.
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Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
These cookies are deliciously comforting—I think you’ll love them.
Have a sweet day!
xo, Hayley